Dangerously delicious six ingredient, three layer chocolate and caramel Vegan and Paleo Millionaires Shortbread.
Now, I’m not really one to brag or anything, but these Paleo Millionaires Shortbread squares are Ah– M A Z I N G . It’s actually a problem how good they are because I want to eat them all…at once.
Let’s get to it!
No Bake Paleo Millionaires
Altogether these millionaires are super easy to make. The three layers are made up of only six total ingredients. The hardest part here is waiting for the individual layers to set.
The layers:
- Coconut ‘Shortbread’ Crust
- Almond Butter Caramel
- Dark Chocolate Layer
Shortbread
Start off by prepping the coconut flour crust. Simply mix together all of the shortbread crust ingredients together in a mixing bowl (oil, flour, syrup and vanilla) until a soft dough forms.
Gently press the dough into an 8x8inch baking tin – ideally one with a loose bottom for easy removal. At this point the dough might feel a little oily – that’s totally normal. If you want you can take a paper towel and lightly dab the top of the pressed out dough to absorb some of the extra oil.
Caramel & Chocolate Layers
The caramel & chocolate layers are made in the same way – just one at a time. First make the almond butter ‘caramel’ by melting together the almond butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla and salt together in a small sauce pan.
Melt on a low heat and make sure to stir well to mix together until a thick, silky mixture forms. Pour the caramel layer over the shortbread and place in the fridge to harden while you work on the chocolate layer.
Make sure you allow the caramel to harden before adding the chocolate or else the two layers will mix into one. It’s also important to allow the chocolate layer to cool to room temperature before pouring over the caramel so it doesn’t melt the layer below.
Once poured, allow everything to fully set and that’s it!
Not only are these chocolatey, caramel millionaires refined sugar and grain free they are also vegan. The best part about vegan baked goods? The fact that you can lick the spoon at any time without any worry of salmonella. Not that that ever came between me and my cookie dough. I mean, what?
The prep for these little slices of heaven is actually pretty minimal, requiring only six ingredients and a melting pot or two. The worst part is having to wait for the caramel and chocolate layers to harden in the fridge before going to town on these. But trust me – they are so worth the wait. Seriously. You need to make these so we can discuss how freakin’ delicious they are.
Enjoy!
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Dangerously delicious six ingredient, three layer chocolate and caramel Vegan and Paleo Millionaires Shortbread. Before pouring the chocolate over the top of the caramel you want to make sure that the chocolate isn't too hot still or you'll end up melting the caramel which and you won't get those individual layers. Store these in the refrigerator.No Bake Paleo Millionaires Shortbread
Ingredients
Shortbread Layer
Caramel Layer
Chocolate Layer
Instructions
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16
Serving Size:
g
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 254Saturated Fat: 16gSodium: 18mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 3gSugar: 10gProtein: 2g if when you do make these Paleo Millionaires don’t forget to snap a picture and tag me on instagram @asaucykitchen so I can see too!
These look SO good! I’m practically drooling just looking at them! Quick question – Is it possible to substitute coconut flour with almond flour? I’ve got the latter chilling in my pantry so wondering if I could just use that. Hope you’re staying safe and doing well! 🙂
Hi Karishma! You’ll need to tweak the amounts a bit but I think you could definitely make these using almond flour! You’ll likely need at least 2 cups almond flour though and I also recommend only starting out with using 1/4 cup coconut oil to begin with. If your mixture feels dry you can add more coconut oil as needed.
Hi, thank you so much for this recipe absolutely delicious. Most of my family loved them but my mum doesn’t like the taste of nuts. I tried making the caramel with normal vegan butter but it came out really thin. Do you have any tips for thickening the caramel without nut butter?
Hi Amy! Your mom might like it with this date caramel: https://www.asaucykitchen.com/date-caramel/ It’s mostly just a mixture of dates & nuts with a little bit a maple
Hey there, these look delicious! Could I substitute dates for the maple syrup in the base and caramel layer? Thanks 🙂 🙂
That will work! You will need to play around with the amount of dates you use though. I recommend letting the dates soak in hot water for about 10 minutes before using them so they’re nice and moist since coconut flour can be quite drying
Fantastic recipe! I made a batch and the family love them. Thanks for sharing as we’re always looking for healthier options for the kids. Next batch I will double the caramel too as it was a bit thin but that maybe due to my pan size.
Thanks Gem! So glad you guys enjoyed them so much 🙂
I love finding healthy dessert recipes that taste good, but I also eat regular desserts too. I liked this dessert but was not a fan of the bottom crust layer. I think the bottom layer takes away from the amazing top two layers. I would like to try this again with a regular shortbread crust with the top two layers in this recipe. The middle layer is to die for when it is still warm! I could eat that by itself! Anyone who makes this, please try a spoon of the middle layer while it is warm!
I’m so with your on the middle layer! Thanks Amity!
These are so delicious! Thank you for the recipe! I made 2 huge batches and I don’t trust myself not to eat them all this week, can I freeze them?
Thanks Jennifer! You can freeze them – keep them stored in an airtight container in the freeze and they should keep 2-3 weeks at least but probably longer (ours never last beyond that point 😀 )
Hi Sarah, can I use honey instead of maple syrup?
Hi Loren! That’s totally fine!
Can you use carob powder for the chocolate layer?
That’s fine! It will change the overall taste, but if you like carob then that shouldn’t be a problem!
I tried carob and for some reason once I stirred it all in it separated and clumped. I tried a 2nd time with the same result. The chocolate worked perfectly. Let me know if your carb batch works and how you did it.
Hey! Do you think you could replace some of the maple syrup in this recipe with coconut sugar or Swerve and still have it work?
Hi Lili! Either of those will work! I’m not too sure about the amounts though so you may need to play around a little bit. You will also probably want to heat the caramel and chocolate layers a little longer at low heats so that the sugar crystals dissolve fully
Love these so much! I used a tad less coconut oil in each level because I was running out and no issues. Used the freezer to help set the caramel. Delicious, thank you! Xx
Thanks Rose! Glad you liked them!
Great recipe! I love these. However, yours look thicker than mine. My caramel layer is so thin that it’s barely visible. Did you use a smaller pan or double the ingredients for your pictures?
Thanks Laila! I’m so glad you liked it! I’m not sure why the caramel layer is so thin though – are you using an 8x8inch square tin? How would you say you caramel thickness compares to the one in the video just above the recipe?
Thanks for your quick response! I used an 8×8 inch pan. When I poured the caramel layer, it wasn’t enough to cover the bottom layer evenly. I just doubled the amount for the caramel layer in my new batch, and it’s PERFECT! Here is a comparison photo: https://i.imgur.com/kOuVpI1.jpeg
I so miss Millionaires Shortbread, so I’m definitely going to have to make this. Thank you for sharing!!! 🙂
Hope you love them as much as we do!
My niece & her husband are vegans & as we were getting together for dinner last night I wanted to show my support & make your slice. Well, it was a hit! I was so easy to make & it turned out so well. it tasted so good too! Thank you for your recipes. This has encouraged me to cook more vegan food! 😊
Yay! That makes me so happy to hear – really glad you all enjoyed it!
I’ve made 5 batches of these. A sure winner for anyone who’s health conscious but still loves sweet treats.
Even made a batch for my work’s bake off and they went down really well!
That’s so awesome! Thanks for much for coming back to share that Sjaun!
Just made these, totally delicious, thank you! Was wondering if I can freeze them? If so, how long to thaw before eating ? Or how long can they be kept in the fridge? Thanks x
Glad you liked them! I haven’t frozen these exactly but I have frozen similar type things and usually you need about 20 minutes before they’re soft enough to cut easily. As for keeping them in the fridge, they’ll keep a minimum of a week – they usually end up eaten before that but I think they’ll keep even longer. Thanks for coming back to let me know what you thought!
Looks so good! Can’t wait to try Christmas! Have you ever tried making these in a mold? Wanting to make these in a Christmas tree shaped mold and then flip them old to have it desert come out in a Christmas tree shaped. Wondering if I should grease the pan and put the layers in with chocolate going first so that when I flip it, the crust layer is on the bottom. Totally not even sure though if this will hold up outside of the mold. Thoughts?
Thanks Rebecca! I haven’t tried them in moulds yet but I really love that idea! I know the chocolate & caramel layers will hold up but I’m not sure about the shortbread. I think it would, but getting them out of the mould might be tricky. I don’t think you’ll need to grease them – the coconut oil gives the shortbread a greasy kind of feeling before it sets. Any more might be too much. If you try them out in moulds please let me know!
Ummm…so much yes. These are INCREDIBLE! My sister is a master baker and used to make these (with regular flour, sugar, and chocolate) under the name of Irish Toffee Bars. I try to always make clean versions of yummy desserts for my family, and boy did this deliver! I was unsure how the almond butter caramel would turn out, but it’s divine! My husband only likes dark, dark chocolate (no milk, no white) so I can’t wait for him to try this!!! Thank you!!!!
That’s wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
These will become staples in my home! I brought them in to work from rave reviews (from people who sometimes chuckle at my dietary choices, haha), and plan on baking them for an upcoming school bake sale. May I have your permission to share your recipe (with full credit given of course!) on a little blog I created to share healthy recipe finds with friends? I’m attaching the site so you can look at it. As you can see I haven’t updated in awhile; school started for me so things have been pretty crazy!
Hi Emily! SO glad everyone enjoyed them! Thanks so much for asking – that’s totally fine with me if you want to share them on your blog! Thanks also for coming back to let me know what you thought of them 🙂
These look so good!! My son has to take a plate to share to a Halloween celebration this week and I am going to sub the almond butter for sunbutter or tahini seeds and take this.
Thanks! I really want to make this with tahini now because that sounds awesome! Hope you and your son enjoy!
Just made it with Tahini today and it’s so good!!!!! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
These are something very special! I’ve just finished the first batch but will making another batch this weekend without doubt!
Aww thanks, Corrina! So glad you like it 🙂 Thanks so much for coming back to let me know what you thought!
I am finally have all of the ingredients. Can I make this in advance or will it get soggy? For example, make on a Friday for the following Wednesday night? Thank you again!!!
No sogginess at all! Just keep it in the fridge or freezer and you’ll be fine 🙂
Hi Sarah, I will love to make this bars! Will the coconut flour raw leave like a flourly after taste? If baking it for how long it should go? Thanks so much!
Hi Adela! Coconut flour shouldn’t leave a floury taste behind, but if you still wanted to bake it you can bake at 350 for about 10 minutes
have you tried both baked and raw? which would you recommend? and you are saying “coconut flour should leave a floury taste behind”? Or it should NOt? thank you!
Oops! Definitely meant to say should not – thanks for pointing that out to me! I personally haven’t baked this – I’m far too impatient when it comes to sweets to do anything to tack on extra time. At the end of the day I don’t think baking the crust will make too much difference. Coconut flour doesn’t really get crunchy so it will still be a pretty soft bite
thank youthanks
I can’t find the spot to comment, but thank you for this recipe. My teenage daughter is a super strict vegan and this is perfect for her. She’s mostly given up goodies because we haven’t seen any good recipes. Thanks a million
That makes me so happy to hear that you’ve found something she can enjoy! Thanks Carla!
Hi Sarah, these look amazing! Question, can you use stevia instead of maple syrup? And if so, would adding more coconut oil help keep the consistency?
Hi Matt! I don’t have a lot of experience when it comes to using stevia so I’m not entirely sure, but the maple in the recipe is mostly just for taste and volume – it doesn’t change much about the texture or consistency. I don’t think you’ll need to add any additional coconut oil for the caramel or the chocolate layer but you may need to add a little extra in the shortbread layer if the dough is too dry – I think it will be fine, but you might need to add an extra tablespoon or so at most. Hope that helps!
I didn’t have any coconut flour on hand but have other paleo friendly flours, ie. almond and casava… will they work?
They can work but you’ll need more flour than you would use with coconut flour. I’ve yet to make these using anything like almond flour before so I can’t say for sure how much you’re going to need. If I were trying to make it with almond flour I’d start by doubling the amount of almond flour. You want the dough to be thick and sticky when you press it into the bottom of the pan. Add more flour if you need tablespoons at a time. Hope that helps!
Can this recipe be doubled?
Yes!The only thing I might recommend is to decrease the amount of coconut oil in the crust just slightly. Instead of adding 1 full cup try 3/4 cup + tablespoons. If it feels like the bottom layer needs it you could always add the remaining 2 tablespoons. Hope you like the recipe!
Making this now. The ‘dough’ is not dough-like at all and is like wallpaper paste!! What have I done wrong or is this how is should be? I’m adding more coconut flour but it’s still very runny..
Hi Kerry! Sorry I didn’t get back sooner – I’m sure you’ve finished making this by now. I’m not sure what went wrong here – the dough certainly shouldn’t be runny. How did you measure the flour/oil? It sounds like the amounts might have gotten mixed up
Hi again, I used 112 g coconut flour, 158g maple syrup and 108 g coconut oil as per the recipe. It’s rather tasty and now it’s done, the base layer is fine! It was just really sloppy at the time rather than doughy. I love the caramel layer in particular! Really yummy. Thanks for this recipe. We need more alternatives to nasty processed foods! Overall, it came out ok in the end…!
Is the coconut oil melted or solid when you measure?
I find it easier to melt it first and then measure, but you can measure it as it’s solid
The recipe says “lined 8×8″ pan” – with what do you line it? Would it work to just grease the pan with a little coconut oil & bake the crust?
Greasing it with coconut oil would be perfect! I usually do it that way myself, but I’ve had a couple people comment that it can get a little greasy which is why I suggest lining it with parchment or baking paper so that you don’t have to add any extra oil
I have made these several times, I often tinker with the amounts of things for more/less sweetness but they are EXCELLENT
Thanks Rebecca!That genuinely makes me happy to hear!
Any suggestions for an alternative to the top layer? I’m SCD and cannot have chocolate. These look amazing!
How are you with nuts? I made this somewhat recently and threw on roasted peanuts on the top instead of chocolate because we were out of cocoa powder. The added texture was nice and I didn’t feel like I was missing the chocolate. Hope that helps!
I can do nuts. That sound fabulous, thank you!
Hi these look amazing, but can I sub the coconut oil for something else? I want to make these to take into work for my birthday but I know one work colleague is allergic to coconut
Hi Ruth! I wish I could be more help here, but I’m not sure what to suggest to replace the coconut oil and coconut powder here. The oil is important for the taste and also because it’s semi solid at room temperature.I wouldn’t be able to confidently suggest substitutions here that I know would work in a similar capacity
You could try using palm oil. It’s semi solid at room temperature also.
Thanks Alyssa! I didn’t even think of that!
I’m allergic to almonds. They give me really awful eczema. Any substitution for almond butter? I’m not vegan, but I do attempt to stick to the GAPS diet for the most part. I’d love to try these if there are options.
How are you with other types of nuts/peanuts? I often use peanut butter in place of the almond butter, but cashew butter would work well too. You can also use another seed butter to sub like sun butter. I’ve also seen more nut free peanut butter substitutes like ‘wow butter’ that you might like
I just made this and tried it. It’s wonderful! Just 2 bites satisfied my sweet tooth craving. I even made some strawberries to go with it. Sprinkled some turbinado sugar over them so it would be a strawberry, chocolate, caramel shortcake. Yum! Thank you for this recipe.
Yay! So glad you liked them! I love the idea to add strawberries – definitely going to try that the next time I make them. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment!
Pretty sure you shouldn’t eat the whole dang pan in one day. Yup. They were THAT good. Hubby didn’t like them but he’s so over coconut oil. My LO’s ate what few crumbs I threw to them. Never never making again. No self control.
Haha I know the struggle! Thankfully my husband is more of a chocolate fiend than I am so I usually have to fight him for desserts 😀 So glad you liked them! Thanks for stopping back by to leave a comment!
Hiya! What is the nutritional value of these?
Hi Eliza! I’m not sure what the nutritional content for these are, but I know My Fitness Pal has a calorie calculator that you can use to find it
I don’t typically care for the taste of maple syrup. Does it stand out against the other flavors?
I don’t think it stands out, but I might not have noticed it as much because I like the taste of maple. If you like you could sub it for agave or even honey if you’re alright with it not being completely vegan
Made this and it was delicious. It is very rich.
Glad you liked them! They are super rich, but personally I kind of like that because I never over eat them – better for sharing 🙂
Hi!
These look awesome! But wouldn’t you have to bake the bottom crust to give it that “shortbread” texture?
Hi Luna! Thanks so much! I guess you could say that they’re technically not shortbread because there’s no baking involved to give that crisp crust that shortbread normally has. For this recipe I was wanting to make a gluten/dairy free version of something that we enjoy having that was also a no bake recipe – saves me from having to turn on the oven during the summer! Crunch or no crunch, it’s still got that richness to it that I like in shortbread which is good enough for me 🙂
These were LEGIT! Actually really easy and fast. My husband lost his mind. Thank you!
So glad you guys liked them!! My husband was the same way, but he’ll pretty much lose it for anything with chocolate 😀
This looks wonderful. I’m vegan and I don’t have an oven, so I want to make these. Can I make these with a different kind of flour– something cheaper (if not paleo thats ok for me)? And do you think that the crust would still be amazing if it was used for a different recipe or is is really meant to work with this one only?
Thanks so much!!
Hi Erin! I’ve never tried it with a different crust, but I’ve had varying success in substituting oat flour with coconut flour since they are both pretty absorbent. I did a quick search and I found this recipe from The Vegan Cookie Fairy and she has a similar type of recipe using an oat flour crust that I think would also work as the shortbread in this recipe
https://thevegancookiefairy.com/2014/11/15/raw-millionaires-shortbread-gluten-free-nut-free/
And just in case you don’t know how – you can make your own oat flour at home by blending regular oats in a blender until it becomes like a fine powder….I hope that helps!
Perfect!! This looks amazing ..I’ve never had these before .. I can’t wait to try them!!
wow, scrumptious and I’m all over these !
Thanks, Florentina!
Wow, delicious and healthy! I totally need to make these!!
Thanks, Oana! You won’t regret it if you do!
Looks absolutely mouthwatering, I can’t wait to make them!
Thanks, Michelle!
These look amazing and no bake to boot! Yum!
Thanks, Patti! I love no bake recipe for the summer time – saves me form having to turn on the oven
You could also call this million dollar shortbread, looks like a million bucks to me! Thanks for sharing this one!!
Haha, thanks – I like that idea!
I need to buy these ingredients. The bars look delicious.
Thanks, Faye – you won’t regret it!
Soooo good! And I think I have all of these ingredients in my pantry! Hell-oooo Saturday night!
Sounds like my kind of Saturday night!
Wonderful, my wife was looking over my shoulder whilst I was reading this post and she is now demanding we go shopping to buy ingredients… I hate shopping thank you :p
Lol, sorry Brian – you’ll thank me later 🙂
I DEFINITELY need to try these! 🙂
Have friends/family by when you make them so you don’t feel tempted to eat them all you own 😉
Oh my yum! these shortbread treats look and sound amazing! Yummmmmmmm! And I love that they are paleo! Two thumbs up!
Thanks, girl!
Oh God !!! Look at that tower of those ‘Shortbread’ squares – i’m literally drooling and the best part they are refined sugar & glutenfree. Simply Awesome!!!
Thanks, Molly! Yay for gluten free!
This looks like the perfect Paleo recipe!
Thanks!
This reminded me of my childhood when we would sneak this into the shopping cart as a treat. Looks delicious!
Oh my gosh, that’s hilarious! Glad I could remind you of that! Thanks, Razena 🙂
These look decadent, and I love the REAL ingredients you used!
Aww, thanks Rachel! Real ingredients all the way!
These looks absolutely yummy. Nothing better than shortbread.
Looks awesome! I have never tried a millionaire before!
They’re amazing – you gotta give it a try!
Drool, licking screen, pinning, making these.
Aw shucks! Thanks, Melanie!
We are always on the hunt for paleo recipes here! I am going to pin this one for later!!
Excellent! Happy to share 🙂
This loos extremely delicious! I’d love to make a batch of these this weekend. 😉
Thanks Bryon – beware! You’ll be tempted to eat them all!
can’t wait to try!
I’m excited for you!
These look so good! I could definitely enjoy one (or two or three) with a cup of coffee!!
Thanks, Renee! I go could for that right about now myself!
I love anything with coconut oil. For me, it’s the best substitute for butter (not that I have a problem with butter). This recipe looks absolutely scrumptious!
I agree- as far as butter substitutes go it’s my favorite. Thanks, Leslie!
You can just hand over the whole pan. It looks irresistible. I look forward to making them.
Yay! Let me know how it goes 🙂
I can only come up with one word to describe this – scrumptious!
Haha, thanks Tina!
I don’t have dietary issues so I typically don’t worry about all that stuff BUT these look amazing, even if they are “healthier” I want to give them a try!!!
My mother in law is the same as you – doesn’t typically like “healthy” desserts, but she loved these. Thanks, Judy!
Twix rendition in the form of vegan bars. i like the sound of that.And beautiful photos! These have my mouthwatering.
Thanks, Noor!
OMG! These look too good to be true! My daughter has dairy issues so I’m always excited when I find vegan treats. Can’t wait to try these!
Thanks, Susan! I totally understand your problem – my husband has lots of dairy issues as well as gluten, so I’ve been trying to make more vegan treats. These are probably my favorite treat to make – they’re soooo addictive!
This looks amazing, Sarah!! 🙂 I totally need to make these!!
Thanks, Sina! You’re going to love them!
Aww, thank you! Hope you like them!
Aww, thanks Kennedy! I’m all over anything that has caramel in it – it’s just too good XD
Thanks, Jodie! They’re well worth it!
I don’t have coconut flour – what could I use as an alternative? I have gram flour, would that work? I’m vegan and these look like they need to be in my mouth pronto!
Hi Suzanne,
I haven’t tried this recipe with anything other than coconut flour so I can’t say for sure, but I read up on various flour substitutes for coconut flour to gauge what could work best.
The thing with coconut flour is that it is a very dense, very absorbent flour. Usually you want to have a 1:1 ratio of flour to liquids which you can see with this recipe in the shortbread (1/2 cup maple + 1/2 cup oil = 1 cup liquid to go along with the 1 cup coconut flour). This makes substituting things a bit difficult because not many other flours act that way. I found this article which explains it the best in my opinion: http://www.ehow.co.uk/info_8407694_coconut-flour-substitutes.html
Gram flour is similar to coconut flour in density, so that’s a potential replacement – the main issue might be the taste. Bean flours typically have a very distinct taste which might put some people off whereas coconut flour is a little sweet to the taste.
If you have oat flour I think that would be a good sub taste wise. If you don’t have oat flour on hand, but you have regular oats I used to make oat flour just by putting oats in the blender and blending for a minute. If it’s not entirely smooth that would still work out just fine for this.
One last thing I’d recommend: if you do sub for another flour, add the liquid ingredients little bits at a time because there is a chance you won’t need quite as much moisture with one of the other flours and you don’t want to end up with a goopy mess.
I hope that was helpful and I didn’t ramble too much! Let me know if you have any other questions or if you try it out how it works!
Aww, thank you Allie! I’ve had to keep them covered in the back of the fridge to keep from reaching in and grabbing one every time I go in there. And I agree – maple is probably my favorite sweetener to use!
Thanks, Kellie! It helps that I’ve got help eating everything – keeps me from having anyone thing all to myself 🙂
Aww, thank you! I love a good vegan sweet – especially no bake ones in the summer when it’s hot out. They just hit the spot!